The most important thing that you can do to keep from getting sick is to wash your hands. By frequently washing your hands you wash away germs that you have picked up from other people, from contaminated surfaces, or from animals and animal waste. When you do not wash your hands frequently you pick up germs from other sources and then you infect yourself when you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. One of the most common ways people catch colds is by rubbing their nose or their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with the cold or flu virus. You can also spread germs directly to others or onto surfaces that other people touch, and before you know it, everybody around you is getting sick.

The important thing to remember is that, in addition to colds, some pretty serious diseases – like hepatitis A, meningitis, and infectious diarrhea – can easily be reduced or possibly avoided if people make a habit of washing their hands.

Remember: If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based gel to clean hands.

It is estimated that one out of three people do not wash their hands after using the restroom. So these tips are also important when you are out in public. If everyone took the time to wash his or her hands several times a day (especially after using the restroom) we could cut down on the occurrence of the common cold.